Executive Interview : Erin Clark of Whirlpool Corp. in the U.S. Sets Her Sights On Vegas After Winning Gold At Regionals

Erin Clark of Whirlpool Corporation won a gold medal for Best Support Professional - HR at the 2016 Regional Top Ranking Performers Awards in Miami. Now she has her sights set on winning a world championship in Las Vegas. Clark joins ContactCenterWorld for a one-on-one interview.

ContactCenterWorld: What was your reaction to being named Best Support Professional – HR for the Americas Region? Erin Clark: I was very excited...this has been such a great experience for me. I'm very honored and thrilled to have the opportunity to represent Whirlpool Corporation and share HR Best Practices in the Contact Center industry. Being selected for this award validates the passion and enthusiasm that I bring to work every single day.

ContactCenterWorld: What was the reaction from your Whirlpool colleagues upon returning to your Contact Center?Erin Clark: My peers, fellow employees and leadership team congratulated us....there was a celebration event upon our return. Everyone agreed that being recognized for this achievement was a not only a reflection of how I do my job, but a win for our employees as well.

ContactCenterWorld: What was the reaction from your boss and can you share with us what they said to you?Erin Clark: The entire leadership team was very excited. They asked that we share details of the awards with the broader Whirlpool leadership team.

ContactCenterWorld: Has winning this award changed your approach to your job in any way?Erin Clark: I can’t say that it has changed my day-to-day approach, but has reinforced my outlook on how I perform my role as an HR professional. Knowing that industry peers have positively judged my performance lends credence to my work ethic and philosophy.

2018 Top Ranking Performers Present:

CONTACT CENTER & CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT

BEST PRACTICES

BERLIN - ORLANDO - MACAO

ContactCenterWorld: How did you celebrate your success upon winning the Best Support Professional – HR Award?Erin Clark: We announced the achievement to the entire contact center, then we made a display with pictures of the award event. We had a gala in all sites to celebrate the win with our teams.

ContactCenterWorld: Are you or your company telling others of your achievement and what are they doing to help promote your win in the Americas?Erin Clark: Yes, we have used our portal to announce our awards, and internal marketing. We posted our pictures on internal social media.

ContactCenterWorld: How important was it for you to be seen competing for an industry award based on Best Practices?Erin Clark: As a company, it is essential to compete with others in the contact center industry in order to measure how we stand in comparison with others. In hindsight, this was also very beneficial for me as I was able to learn more about the industry and share HR Best Practices.

ContactCenterWorld: Do you think being named a winner might have an impact on others with similar roles?Erin Clark: I do believe that others will see this as an opportunity to measure their abilities. Knowing that there is a chance to be nominated will drive performance and, in turn, benefit those employees with which they work.

ContactCenterWorld: Plenty of ideas were shared during the conference, how have you been able to take some of these Best Practices and introduced them into your Contact Center?Erin Clark: There were so many GREAT best practices shared during the Americas. We actually share most of the best practices with our Supervisors and Leadership team and let them expand on how to use them. Our leaders are great at brainstorming ideas to lift our contact center, they really took what we shared with them and came up with some great ideas that fit our culture.

ContactCenterWorld: Outside of your own category of Support Professional – HR, what was another category that captured your interest and why?Erin Clark: Social Media - this is such a new space and it's really great to hear what others in the industry are doing.

ContactCenterWorld: How would you describe your journey to this point to someone who is considering entering the Top Ranking Performers Awards for next year?Erin Clark: This has been such a rewarding and fun journey! I've learned so much about the Contact Center Industry, and met some really great people! My advice to anyone considering entering the Top Ranking Performers Awards would be....JUST DO IT!

ContactCenterWorld: How are you preparing for the World Championships in Las Vegas, November 7th to 11th?Erin Clark: First and foremost we are letting our entire contact center population be part of our planning. We are voting on what topics to showcase, making it fun for everyone.

ContactCenterWorld: Besides the award, what has been the best part of your experience with ContactCenterWorld.com so far?Erin Clark: The ability to network with other industry professionals and sharing of best practices has been phenomenal. Learning, along with exchanging of ideas, is something that is extremely valuable and rewarding through further development of myself and others!

ContactCenterWorld: Outside of presenting and competing for a World Championship in Las Vegas, what else about the Conference are you looking forward to?Erin Clark: Meeting others and sharing experiences with industry peers. The CCW events are so well put together. I'm really excited to have some fun and reconnect with the great people I met at the Americas.

About Erin Clark:Erin Clark is a Human Resources Leader with Whirlpool Corporation in Michigan. Clark was named Best Support Professional - HR at the 2016 Regional Top Ranking Performers Awards in Miami.

About Whirlpool Corporation:Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is a major appliance manufacturer, with approximately $21 billion in annual sales, 93,000 employees and 70 manufacturing and technology research centers in 2016. The company markets Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, Consul, Brastemp, Amana, Bauknecht, Jenn-Air, Indesit and other major brand names in nearly every country throughout the world.

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